


The World Shall Burn

by Onhiro



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: End of the World, diana couldn't save her, harbinger of doom, major angst, rebirth themes, the world will pay for what it did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:55:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onhiro/pseuds/Onhiro
Summary: The smallest of changes to one's destiny can have massive impacts on what should have happened. In a world where Amanda didn't free Shooting Star, the final battle against the Noir Rod Missile goes terribly differently. Diana...she tried so hard, but to no avail, and now the world shall burn for what it did!
Comments: 14
Kudos: 39





	The World Shall Burn

The World Shall Burn

Diana had lost Akko.

In all the chaos of the fight against the Noir Rod Missile so far above the Earth’s surface, they had been struck, and Akko had been flung from Shiny Valley and into the air. Diana had screamed out for her even as she was desperately evading further strikes from the cursed missile, and her heart slammed against her ribs as she stared in horror at Akko’s rapidly diminishing form. God, she was already so far away!

Then, impact, and she too was flung from the legendary broom, and despair roared forth, gripping her with merciless claws. Was this the end? Was this how her and Akko’s story would come a close? Squinting against the roar of bitterly cold air against her face, she spread her arms and legs, trying to do anything to slow her descent, hoping that help would come from anyone or anything.

No help came.

The Noir Rod circled once, twice before it roared off, evidently content that the annoying flies that had been pestering it were dispatched, and Diana watched its departure, fear and altitude stealing her breath. No! It couldn’t be over, not like this!

A glimmer of sunlight against white caught her eye, and she spotted the Shiny Rod, back in its base form. Could she-? She brought her hands to her sides and her legs together, and she started to edge towards the wand.

She could!

Time dragged to a torturous crawl as she slowly drew closer to the wand that her Akko had gained mastery over, the wand that would let her save Akko’s life. But before she could reach it, they hit the cloud layer, the billowing forms swallowing them both. She cried out in frustration as she lost sight of the staff, even the gleam of its jewels getting lost in the all-encompassing grey haze, and in seconds her clothes were soaked through and she was chilled to the bone.

Then, sunlight again, and she winced as she wiped the water from her face, gritting her teeth as she desperately cast her gaze about. Where did it-?!

There! Tumbling freely in the air and further away from her than it was, but there was still hope! Once more she streamlined her body, gliding towards the Shiny Rod, and this time, there was nothing stopping her from reaching out and grabbing the cold, smooth handle of the wand. “ _S-Sybillad-dura Lelladyb-bura_!” she managed to croak out past chattering teeth, the words disappearing into the roar of the wind as she fell, fell, fell, and there was a heart-stopping pause where nothing happened. Diana was struck by a terrible vision of some poor soul finding her smashed body still clutching the Shiny Rod when it _finally_ glowed, transforming into the broom that she so desperately needed. She mounted it, finally stopping her freefall even as she desperately looked about, trying to find Akko.

There! Oh, God, that tiny speck so far away and so much further down! “ _Please!_ ” she screamed as she dropped down over the broom’s length, streaking forward as fast as she could go without being torn from the broom, but Akko was so, so far away!

A race against time and space.

A race where she prayed with all her heart that the people watching would believe in her just enough, that they would give her the speed that she needed to save the witch she loved.

A race she was losing.

 _No, no, no, no!_ she screamed in the silent confines of her mind, the horrified plea echoing in her head as she tried, oh, God, she tried so hard, but Akko had been so far away!

Akko saw her coming. Of course she did! She had to know that Diana would do everything in her power to save her, that she wouldn’t ever abandon her, not to a fate as cruel as this! Even from the great distance still separating them, Diana could see Akko’s lips move as she cried out her name, could see how Akko spread her own limbs even further to try and slow her descent, could see how one hand reached out towards her with her fingers splayed wide. Akko needed Diana to save her.

For a mere fraction of a second, it seemed as though Diana would. She reached out towards that hand, saw the moment of _relief_ and _trust_ and _love_ on Akko’s face…only for their fingers to briefly touch and then break apart, Diana’s speed carrying her past Akko and towards the towering trees of the field that was too close, Akko’s scream destroying any hope that still resided in her breast:

“DIIIAAAANNNAAAAA-!”

And then, silence.

xxxXXXxxx

Diana would never know that her greatest failure was witnessed by the world, that all the people who had misplaced their belief in her watched the moment that she was unable to save the young woman she was falling in love with. She did not know that parents covered the eyes and ears of their children, did not see the shocked horror on countless faces, did not hear the anguished cry from Ursula, did not witness the pain that consumed everyone whose lives Akko had impacted, had made better. She did not know.

All she knew was the agony that seized her heart, the despair that shattered her as she collapsed on her knees besides…besides…

This…this obliterated corpse…it couldn’t be Akko. It couldn’t be bright, vibrant Akko. It couldn’t be the one who had saved so many people, who had touched so many lives. It couldn’t be!

Diana’s fingers clawed into the soil of the field and her head lifted as she screamed her agony into the uncaring blue sky, howled her rage at her own failure, wailed the loss of the one she should have saved but _didn’t_ because she was a failure, she was weak, she was _useless_! But then, as the gems on Shiny Valley flickered, a hideous red swirling into existence, her eyes caught the speck of light that was the distant Noir Rod Missile.

 _Hate_.

A potent hatred erupted in her chest, and she bit her lip so hard that tooth pierced flesh, blood running down her chin as her hand grasped the broom by her side. Without breaking her eyes away from the missile, she mounted the broom, with only one though running through her mind: destroy the thing that killed Akko. With a roaring blast, she and Shiny Rod lanced off into the sky, her hatred and the despair of all those watching fueling this last final chase.

She failed before. She would _not_ fail again!

Honestly, it should have been impossible. The missile was so far away that she should never have had a chance in the world of intercepting it before it struck that country. But then, hatred called to hatred, and Diana’s heart had turned black in her chest as she screamed through the air.

The missile sensed her, slowing its flight as red eyes shifted on its black body, looking back at the witch hurtling towards it. It seemed as though some flies were more persistent than they should be! Once more, it reversed course, streaking back towards its foe, eager to destroy the silly little girl so that it might continue its task.

But that was not to be. The witch leapt off the broom, holding it in her hands as she cried out the spell, transforming into a bow, and with all the hatred in her heart fueling the shot and corrupting the Rod, she drew back the string, and let fly the arrow.

xxxXXXxxx

The histories were never too clear precisely what happened next. It is agreed that the missile disappeared, but how or why would be long debated by those that survived what was coming. That there was also a sickly red glow that covered the Earth is also accepted, but the source of the glow remains debated, as well as the despair that seized those that witnessed it. The one person who could definitively say what happened…she would never speak on it, not that anyone would listen to her words, not with what she was about to do.

Diana fired the arrow, and it struck the Noir Rod, but rather than destroying the missile, it linked the foul contraption with Diana, and there was a beat where nothing happened before all the hate, all the despair, all the negative emotions contained within the Noir Rod found a conduit to escape, bursting out to envelop the world, awakening magic with a wave of malice. And Diana…oh, Diana was at the epicenter of it, and she screamed as she was overwhelmed, the terrible magic corrupting her and the rod that was borne of the stars. What once was white and pure as driven snow was turned black as soot, and the blue gems of the Shiny Rod turned the red of blood and fire.

Agony surged through her, and she cried out again as she became a vessel for the reawakened magic, the avatar for the terrible force that she had brought into existence in her despair. It was in that moment, as pure energy crackled through her body, turning her into something new and horrifying, that Diana realized the truth, realized the terrible purpose of the missile that she had destroyed.

Humanity was a curse upon the planet.

Humanity was hatred, was cruelty, was a malicious stupidity.

Something so simple as a sporting event had given rise to the energy necessary for the Noir Rod to even exist. Humanity let the hungry starve, let the cold freeze, let the hopeless suffer in despair. The Noir Rod was going to bathe the world in fire, such that the next dominant species might arise, might learn from the mistakes of humanity.

Diana was going to complete the Noir Rod’s mission. This world would pay for what its hatred had done to Akko.

She did not notice that she was not falling, that she was standing on the air like it was solid ground as she turned a terrible gaze towards the far distant Arcturus Forest, her face fell and cruel as she realized where she needed to start.

She needed to start at the beginning, with the two who used Akko like a plaything.

A pause, a discordant hum that grew in strength before there was a crack of displaced air, her form disappearing, only a crackle of black electricity to show where she had been.

xxxXXXxxx

The only warning that Croix and Ursula would receive was the air turning frigidly cold, and Croix looked up from where she was comforting the sobbing Ursula as Diana cracked into existence in the clearing, negative energy crawling over her body in short spurts. The hair on the back of Croix’s neck stood on end as she glanced into Diana’s face, and she swallowed heavily as those glowing blue eyes locked with her gaze. “Diana, wha-?” she started before Diana raised the now black Shiny Rod.

For Diana…it was like she could truly _see_ for the first time in her life, could truly understand what magic was, how it interacted with everything, how its energy permeated everything. For the first time in her life, she understood how _wrong_ every single theory of magic was, how spells were so flawed. What use was an incantation when she could actively _see_ the flow of magic? And so, no words escaped her lips as she raised the Shiny Rod towards the two that made hatred surge anew, but the magic still bound Croix, the first heretic that needed to be destroyed.

Croix cried out in pain as the invisible hooks and bands seized her, tearing her away from Ursula, forcing her onto her knees and twisting her so that she was leaned back, arms held to the ground by the bonds that only Diana could see.

“Diana, _stop_!” came the horrified cry from her once-teacher, and Diana merely flicked glowing eyes at the red-headed professor.

“Be _Silent_ and _Still_ ,” she said, and magic made it so. Diana’s gaze returned to the futilely struggling Croix. “It is because of you that so many suffered. It is because of you that so many lost magic. It is because of you that Akko went through so much torment. It is because of your Noir Rod that Akko now lies dead in a field. Have you anything to say?”

Desperate eyes brimming with tears met Diana’s gaze. “I’m…sorry!” she grit past clenched teeth, and Diana tilted her head as she heard the truth behind the words. Croix really was sorry. But…that wasn’t enough.

“Sorry won’t bring her back,” she said before she raised her hand, clawed fingers closing into a hard fist, and Croix had only a moment to begin to scream before the magic took its course.

A howl of enraged anguish, and Ursula broke free from the bonds that had held her, and she fairly flew forward, fist cracking against Diana’s cheek, but she didn’t feel the blow, just as she could now only taste ash, could only smell decay, could only hear the hoarse calls of carrion crows, and once again understanding blossomed. She didn’t have much time left, did she? Humans weren’t supposed to be exposed to the Truth of magic and creation like this, were they?

An angry hum, and she turned her head to see Ursula charging once more, energy blade activated around her wand, and she swung a blow that would have decapitated Diana had it landed, but Diana still had her task to complete. And so she raised her hand, catching the blade and halting the strike as energy flared around her grasp. Diana gave what would be her last smile to the woman staring at her with naked horror, the expression sad on her face, not reaching her eyes that burned with implacable resolve. “She loved you, as I did, and so this will be painless. Farewell, Chariot du Nord.” The Noir Rod raised, touched Ursula’s forehead, and the deed was done.

xxxXXXxxx

Time was running out. She needed to act. But there were things that needed to be done.

First, she returned to Akko’s body. How cruel was it that she could weave the magic together, returning Akko to an unbroken state, the face that was usually so animated now silent and still, as though she was merely asleep? But even the magic that roared through her body was not enough to reverse death. Akko was gone.

Gathering Akko in her arms, Diana once again concentrated, and the world around her folded and bent once more, coming together on the lawn of Luna Nova where a nearly panicking crowd had gathered, the despair and anguish heavy enough on the air that Diana could taste it.

A scream, and the crowd surged away from her, even as the brave came forward to try and stop her. Commendable, given the impossibility of the task. And, ahhh, of course they were her comrades, the other members of the Nine New Witches. If only they all could have carried that title in a world filled with happiness and glee and Akko…but that was not to be. These five had a different task now.

Ignoring the others and their shouted demands and questions, Diana laid Akko gently down in the grass, folding hands over a still chest.

“Is…is that Akko?”

“Oh, God, she really _is_ dead!”

“Akko, no!”

Diana stepped back, raising the Shiny Rod and her hand, peering into the magic, so thick and pure here in what was to be the cradle of humanity. It didn’t take much, the flare of light around Akko’s body blinding, and she sank into the brilliance, disappearing from view as Diana wove the spells over her love. Then the light faded, revealing the tomb that would last until the Earth itself was swallowed by the sun. Akko would be held in eternal slumber in the enchanted diamond that encased her, features peaceful, the words carved in the diamond written in English and the lunar language:

Here lies Atsuko Kagari, the star that would have illuminated the world with joy and magic. She died that humanity might live, and it is her sacrifice that ensures that humanity will not perish. Live life as she intended, and make a believing heart be your magic.

The others were around her, confusion on their faces as she joined her in looking down at Akko’s Tomb, and Diana sighed. Her time was rapidly coming to a close. She lifted her gaze to the others. Yes. This was the right thing to do. This is what Akko would want. “You five are to be her disciples,” she said softly, the despair that still gripped her heart softening as they looked at her, expressions shocked and confused. “Noah had his flood. I shall bathe the world in a cleansing fire to rid Earth of the worst of humanity. It is up to you to correct the survivors, to start over, to build a world worthy of her love.” She lifted her hand, pressing a thumb against each of five foreheads, pausing the longest with Jasminka as her inexorable power warred with the demon that resided within. It struggled, but could not withstand her terrible wrath. “You are now all blessed with long life. Use it well, be teachers of what is right and good.” She stepped back, looking at the five of them. “You were good friends to her. Never forget that.”

“Diana, wait!” Amanda cried as she stepped forward, raising a shocked hand.

But Diana could wait no longer. The magic was consuming her. She needed to act _now_.

The world flickered once more, and then she was standing above the world, looking down at it. Yes, this globe consumed by greed and hatred, where the powerful few reveled in misery. It didn’t have to be this way. If they had only listened to those that came before, those that preached love and acceptance…

…but it was too late for that. She raised her hand, swiping it over the globe, feeling the connection between every human, every soul that lived and breathed, her heart hardening still further at how much pain and fear and hatred she felt reflected back at her.

Yes, this was what was necessary.

It was mostly random, what she did. One thousand souls selected, one thousand people to be the forbearers of the human race, one thousand people to repopulate a world filled with magic, one thousand to be guided by the Five Disciples over the coming centuries. There were some others that she chose. Akko’s parents and her best friend from Japan. Andrew and Frank, Anna and the other staff of Cavendish Manor as well as her aunt and cousins, the families of the Five, Hannah and Barbara’s families, and the others who Akko had touched the lives of, the others that loved and supported Akko more than anyone else. These were the people that Diana selected, these were the Chosen.

Sweat breaking out on her brow as she felt her will and body begin to crumble under the terrible pressure of the magic within her, she wove her hands in the air, and the Chosen were brought with the safety of the wards around Luna Nova, wards the Diana now reinforced. Luna Nova would be the new Garden, fruitful and without disease for those within, but for the rest…

Diana was just about to become the largest mass murderer in all of human history.

The thought gave her pause, and her brow furrowed as she floated far above the world. Could she truly do this? Could she really…?

Akko’s smiling face flitted through her mind, and her heart hardened.

Yes.

She would make this cruel world pay for what it did to Akko. She would make a new world that Akko would be proud of. She would wipe the evil away so that Akko’s ideals would thrive.

She would be the cleansing fire.

She raised _Claiomh Solais_. “For you, Akko,” she whispered, “the world shall burn.”

Red gems flared one…last…time.


End file.
